World on my postcards

  Romania's collection of castles and fortresses perhaps best illustrates the rich medieval heritage of the country. While castles built from the 14th to the 18th centuries are strong and austere fortresses built mainly for defense against invaders, those erected beginning in the late 1800s are imposing and luxurious. The most popular include the 14th century Corvin Castle, built on the site of a former Roman camp, the elegant 19th century Peles Castle with its 160 rooms filled with priceless European art and, of course, the Bran Castle, built in the mid-1300s and legendary home to Bram Stoker's Count Dracula. 

Hunedoara is a city in Hunedoara County, Transylvania, Romania. It is located in southwestern Transylvania near the Poiana Ruscă Mountains, and administers five villages: Boş, Groş, Hăşdat, Peştişu Mare and Răcăştia.

The statue of King Carol I stands proudly in the middle of the Palace Square, in front of the beautiful building bearing on the frontispiece the King’s name: “Fundatiunea Universitara Carol I”, “Carol I University Foundation”. Preoccupied with increasing the quality of education at all levels, in 1891, with the occasion of 25 years of his reign, King Carol I decided to create a library to be used by university students. “Choosing Ourselves the place of the future building, We wanted it to rise close to Our residence, under Our eyes and protection” The King revealed in a letter addressed to the Prime Minister (“alegând Noi Înşine locul viitoarei clădiri, am vroit ca ea să se ridice aproape de reşedinţa Noastră, sub ochii şi sub ocrotirea Noastră”). The King and the Queen personally donated a large part of the initial book endowment of the library. The Library was heavily damaged during the events of the December 1989 Revolution, when the roof was engulfed by fir...

                      A wedding in Romania can be one of the most authentic and inspiring way to understand and see, with your own eyes, how this eastern european country is an unique mix of old and new, joined together in times when cultural identity tends to fade as globalisation takes its place.The tradition of the bride being kidnapped by the groom’s friends is not a specific Romanian tradition, but a custom outspread in all the eastern part of Europe. There are some differences in „the ritual” depending on the country, but, at large, we are talking about the same root custom. As many might imagine, this is a tradition reminding of old times when a bride was a very important „possesion”.However, in Romania, the custom goes like this: a group of close friends of the groom take the bride (usually by hand) and sneak her out of the building where the wedding party is ...